70 
PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
external appearance of the ship, but had not a sufficient quantity 
to paint her inside. We afterwards, however, found that this 
island affords an excellent substitute for linseed oil, in the oily 
walnuts, formerly mentioned, as being used'by the natives for ripen¬ 
ing bananas, and as candles. The oil, of which they afford a large 
quantity, is easily expressed, and is no ways inferior to the best 
paint oil, and as such is used not only by the natives of the Sand¬ 
wich Islands, where it abounds, for painting their clothes, but by 
vessels touching there, which need a supply of that article. 
We found our copper much injured in many parts a little be- 
low the surface of the water, and were enabled by means of the 
supply we had obtained and secured from our prizes to give it the 
necessary repairs, after giving the ship a slight careen. Her 
bottom was found, on examination, to have on it very large barna¬ 
cles, in considerable quantities, together with much grass and 
moss, which had no doubt collected at the Gallapagoes; to cleanse 
it and free the ship from those embarrassments which must great¬ 
ly impede her sailing, the natives were employed, who by diving 
down, with the assistance of the outer shell of the cocoa-nut, soon 
removed all these obstacles. The boatswain, as soon as he had 
completely overhauled the rigging of the ship, was employed on 
shore with a number of hands, where a rope-walk was established, 
to enlarge to a suitable size for a sea stock, the whale line and 
other small cordage found on board our prizes, as also to make 
into small cordage the junk remaining from our old and con¬ 
demned cables. Every thing went on with order and regularity; 
every person was employed to the best advantage, and yet all 
were allowed sufficient time for amusement and relaxation; 
wrestling, throwing the spear, jumping, and pitching quoits now 
occupied some of their leisure time, for the girls, who had for¬ 
merly engrossed the whole of it, were now less attended to, and. 
indeed were frequently reduced to the necessity of suing in vain, 
Temaa Tipee of the valley of Shoueme had not been so 
punctual as the other tribes in sending in his supplies, and his 
example had in some measure occasioned a falling off on the part 
of the others. I therefore found it necessary to let him know that 
I had noticed his neglect, and consequently sent a messenger 
to him to inquire whether he was disposed to remain on friendly 
